This Week on Broadway – 12.26.17

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Joshua Jackson stars in a revival of the Tony-winning play that explores the relationship between an unorthodox speech therapist and one of his students, a young deaf woman hesitant to integrate herself into the hearing world.

In 1917 Zurich, a British military official imagines a meeting between James Joyce and Vladimir Lenin, performed in the style of Oscar Wilde’s The Importance of Being Earnest, in a revival of Tom Stoppard’s Tony-winning play.

John Legend to Star in NBC’s Jesus Christ Superstar Live!

Oscar- and Grammy-winning singer-songwriter John Legend will take on the title role in NBC’s upcoming presentation of Jesus Christ Superstar Live in Concert!, airing from the Marcy Armory in Williamsburg, Brooklyn April 1, 2018. The recording artist joins rock legend Alice Cooper, who will take on the role of King Herod in the Andrew Lloyd Webber and Tim Rice rock musical. Legend won an Oscar in 2015 with Common for the Grammy-winning Selma anthem “Glory.” He won a Tony earlier this year as a producer on the revival of Jitney. He also penned the song “(I Guess I) Miss You” for Broadway’s SpongeBob SquarePants. Legend will also serve as an executive producer. The Easter Sunday telecast will deviate slightly from NBC’s previous live musicals, with Jesus Christ Superstar being presented as a concert with a live audience. More details here.

Donna Summer Musical Announces Broadway Dates

The new bio-show Summer: The Donna Summer Musical will play Broadway’s Lunt-Fontanne Theatre this spring. Featuring a book by Colman Domingo, Robert Cary and Des McAnuff, choreography by Sergio Trujillo and direction by McAnuff, the production will start previews on March 28 with an opening slated for April 23. Told through the dramatic lens of her final concert, Summer: The Donna Summer Musical presents the complexities and conflicts the famed songwriter and singer faced in her meteoric rise and descent. The show features a score with more than 20 of Summer’s classic hits including “Love to Love You, Baby,” “Bad Girls” and “Hot Stuff.” The current La Jolla Playhouse production features Tony winner LaChanze, Ariana DeBose and Storm Lever playing the title role at different points in her life. Casting for the Broadway production will be announced at a later date. More details here.

Tracy Letts’ The Minutes Delays Broadway Arrival

Pulitzer and Tony winner Tracy Letts’ highly anticipated new political comedy The Minutes, now playing at Chicago’s Steppenwolf Theatre Company, has delayed its arrival on Broadway. The play was set to transfer to a yet-to-be-announced theatre on Broadway in spring 2018 following its world premiere in Chicago. No new dates have been announced. Tony winner Anna D. Shapiro, who collaborated with Letts on Broadway hit August: Osage County, is at the helm of The Minutes. The comedy centers on a town council meeting that uncovers the truth behind the town’s history. More details here.